CIA Drone Operators Oppose Strikes as Helping al Qaeda

[jeanpalmer]

Some CIA officers involved in the agency's drone strikes programme in Pakistan and elsewhere are privately expressing their opposition to the programme within the agency, because it is helping al Qaeda and its allies recruit, according to a retired military officer in contact with them.

"Some of the CIA operators are concerned that, because of its blowback effect, it is doing more harm than good," said Jeffrey Addicott, former legal adviser to U.S. Special Forces and director of the Centre for Terrorism Law at St Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, in an interview with IPS.

CIA officers "are very upset" with the drone strike policy, Addicott said. "They'll do what the boss says, but they view it as a harmful exercise."

Addicott said the drone programme has been driven by President Barack Obama, rather than by the CIA. "Obama's trying to show people that we're winning," he added.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51706

[Arctic Dave]

1. All novel concepts, which this is, eventually reap blowback.

Sooner or later you have to deal with the problems that started the conflict and not play high explosive whack a mole.